It’s been Scout and Jules for a year. Jules never expected to be widowed at thirty-seven, with a teenage daughter, but that’s the new reality of her life. Jules also never expected to fall in love again or have to uproot her daughter during her teenage years. Scout didn’t want to live with Kiren and leave behind the memories of her father, but Jules pushed forward with her decision. Since the death of her father it’s just be the two of them, so Scout is feeling cautious about the move.
…
Scout and Jules move into Kiren’s childhood home. This is the same house Emma disappeared from. Her room stays frozen in time from when she was Kiren’s teenage sister.
…
The Dollhouse is a mysterious short story about a teenager who disappeared. When Jules and Scout move in they both encounter her presence. It’s like Emma is communicating to the both of them.
…
The greatest part about short stories is the pace. The Doll’s House is constantly moving leading readers into the mysterious depths of Winslow House. Lisa Unger took readers on a thrilling journey into a claustrophobic smart house designed to make people feel protected.

Promising premise but falls short in execution.

Lisa Unger is a hit or miss author for me. However, this Amazon original short story caught my eye. I love scary plots about creepy dolls! At less than 100 pages, I figured I would give it a shot.

A widowed mother and teenage daughter move into her fiancé’s ancestral smart house to begin their new life together. Both Jules and Scout are still mourning the suicide of their family patriarch. Her fiancé Kirin updates the house to suit their desires and a ghost can be seen haunting the grounds. When Scout finds a doll in Kirin’s sister, Emily’s old room, she becomes curious about her disappearance. What happened to Emily? Are they in danger?

I really enjoyed the first half of the short story. However, I was left with so many unanswered questions in the end as things started to get really wacko. The premise just fell apart, as if Unger didn’t really know where where she wanted to go with the story. I might have enjoyed this more if it was a full length book.

3.5/5 stars rounded down

Expected publication date: 9/12/24

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon publishing for the ARC of The Doll’s House in exchange for an honest review.

If the “Are You Afraid of the Dark” episode about the dollhouse in the attic or the Disney movie about a smart house gone wrong still create a seed of dread in the pit of your stomach, then this chilling, fast-paced, unputdownable thriller by Lisa Unger is likely for you. In less than 100 pages, Unger sets the stage for a truly chilling tale involving a small town cold case, ghostly conversations, and the consequences of getting everything you thought you wanted in your darkest moments. Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read the ARC of this novel and leave an honest review!

Thank you Amazon for the ARC to read and review!

I thought this was a well-written story and I appreciated the descriptiveness. It has good twists although I knew, mostly, what would happen.

Typically I find it hard to get to know characters in short stories, there just isn't enough time to delve into characteristics. But this one was really good with Scout. The reader knows her biggest character trait is that she misses her late father. She was actually my favorite character for who she is.

The Doll's House is an outstanding short story that was a quick thriller read. It was about a widowed mother who falls in love again and decides to move into her fiancé’s family home with her daughter Scout. Things start happening shortly after they arrive though. The author did an amazing job writing this and it was the perfect creepy short story for the fall season. Overall it was a wild ride for just a short story and one I loved a lot. I would recommend this one to any reader who loves a good thriller or horror. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this outstanding read in exchange of my honest review of The Doll's House by Lisa Unger.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Lisa always writes a winner and she has done it again with this book!
Jules husband has died and she finds herself swept off her feet by kirin. She packs up her daughter etc to move in with Kirin. Her daughter is not excited about this move and feels danger. Why does she feel danger? She finds a doll with a map and a key on her bed- where does this lead and why was in on her bed? She and her friends begin to dig for answers and find the danger is real!

5 stars-This is the Lisa Unger that I love so much! A whole lot of creepy and a little bit of ghostly elements make this short story so entertaining. The moral of the story, what seems to be too good to be true often leads to exactly that, something too good to be true. As much as I liked this story I think it would’ve made a great novel by adding more depth to the story. Still, a great quick read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I’d like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review, I will preface this by saying although I enjoyed it and it is a short story, I was hoping for just a bit more. Overall though I really enjoyed the setting, especially the house and the creepy dolls.

This is a short story but it packs a punch. Not much time for red herrings and you can figure out the suspect pretty quick but it still made for a thrilling story. Jules has a new guy but is mourning the death of her previous husband. Her daughter Scout is also having a hard time and she has to go to a new school too. Kirin is rich, a puppet maker (cool and it would have been cool to see some of his famous puppets) and has a smart house (smart houses are creepy no matter what!) that they all move to.

Thankfully Scout is able to dig up the history of Kirin's missing sister (thanks to convenient new helpful friends) even as the creepiness gets to Jules and while it is a close call with the suspect , with the help of a bit of the supernatural spirit there is a happy ending. Or is it? Nice little creepy bit at the end leaves a hope maybe for more of this with the puppets that may be more than just puppets.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this short story.

Lisa Unger’s The Doll’s House is an intriguing short novella that follows widow Jules and her daughter Scout as they navigate a new chapter of their lives. Jules has met Kirin, a hot well off artist, and found new love. Scout is struggling with the loss of her dad and separation from friends as she and her mom move away from the city into Kirin’s technologically advanced mansion.
I really enjoyed the ramp up of creepiness from descriptions of the house and the passively ominous AI. It was a tightly paced but still has space to address some of the complexities of grief and mourning. I read it in one go. Great entrance into spooky season!

Just a so-so short story from Lisa Unger. I felt like too much was attempted for a short story. I also felt like it was all very predictable. However, it did have the creepy factor (especially the smart house and the sad girl in the garden). It’s a good spooky season short story, but nothing groundbreaking.

Thank you Netgalley, Lisa Unger and Amazon Original Stories for the arc of The Dolls House.

The Doll's House is a fast paced Novella which has a little bit of everything in this short story. It's told in 2 POV, Jules who has recently got involved in a new relationship and her daughter, Scout.Who is trying to settle into her new school life, I felt that even though its a novella, the character building was good for both these characters. Kirin who is Jules's partner doesn't really appear much until the last part of the book but you still get a good sense of who he is. The plot itself is fast paced and a quick read. It definitely has a creepy vibe about it which makes it atmospheric which I really enjoyed. The direction of the plot wasn't really a surprise but it didn't take away from how much I enjoyed reading this. I'll be looking out for more of Lisa Unger's books in the future.

4 stars

Having lost their husband/father, Doug, Jules and Scout make a fresh start with Kirin Winslow. He is the acclaimed puppeteer who also loss someone, his sister Emma. This is short and creepy! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

This story was a quick and easy read. It has a good mystery and an element of delicious creepiness to it. I loved the ending and hope that Lisa Unger considers adding more to this story. Definitely recommend!

Un pasticcio: personaggi poco caratterizzati che agiscono a casaccio, una trama thriller che ha più buchi di una rete da pesca e tenta di rappezzarne qualcuno lanciando qualche elemento fantastico completamente random. Se questa è la qualità media della scrittura dell'autrice mi risparmio senza problemi il resto della sua produzione.

Thank you for this book!

It reminded me of. Goosebumps book

The lack of quotation marks around texts really bugged me and confused me

This is a very fun, quick, creepy read. It's hard to start over after a loss, but it's even harder when you're dropped into a creepy place where people have gone missing. I liked the mystery and the supernatural elements. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I really enjoyed this short story! So much happened! Jules falls in love with Kirin. She decides her and her daughter scout will go live with Kirkin in his mansion. But Scout is not happy to be there. She feels like danger is lurking in the house. Can Kirkin be trusted? Should Jules have listed to Scout and not moved in with Kirkin. If you’re looking for a quick short story thriller, I’d definitely recommend this book! Thank you NetGalley, Lisa and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC!

The Doll’s House was really good! It was mysterious and kept my attention from beginning to end. Any story that revolves around dolls is going to be creepy, but it wasn’t too scary. I really like Lisa Unger’s writing style she really has a way of captivating the reader! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

ARC Review
4.5⭐️
This was so good! I'm usually bot thrilled with thriller novellas, but I loved this one. It kept me intrigued the whole time, and you can easily eat it up in just an hour or two. It was weird and eerie and actually made me a little nervous myself for the future of AI lol. So if under 100 pages is able to do that for me, it's absolutely getting a high rating!